Real Brownfields Deserve Dollars I
read with interest the story on Brownfield development dollars in the
July 20 issue. I applaud Dan Lathrop and other county commissioners who
voted “No” on the Randolph Street project...

Hopping Mad Carlin
Smith is hopping mad (“Will You Get Mad With Me?” 7-20-15). Somebody
filed a fraudulent return using his identity, and he’s not alone. The AP
estimates the government “pays more than $5 billion annually in
fraudulent tax refunds.” Well, many of us have been
hopping mad for years. This is because the number one tool Congress has
used to fix this problem has been to cut the IRS budget –by $1.2 billion
in the last 5 years...

Just Grumbling, No Solutions Mark
Pontoni’s grumblings [recent Northern Express column] tell us much
about him and virtually nothing about those he chooses to denigrate. We
do learn that Pontoni may be the perfect political candidate. He’s
arrogant, opinionated and obviously dimwitted...

A Racist Symbol I
have to respond to Gordon Lee Dean’s letter claiming that the
confederate battle flag is just a symbol of southern heritage and should
not be banned from state displays. The heritage it represents was the
treasonous effort to continue slavery by seceding from a democratic
nation unwilling to maintain such a consummate evil...

Not So Thanks I
would like to thank the individual who ran into and knocked over my
Triumph motorcycle while it was parked at Lowe’s in TC on Friday the
24th. The $3,000 worth of damage was greatly appreciated. The big dent
in the gas tank under the completely destroyed chrome badge was an
especially nice touch...

Oosterhouse brothers plan anew winery

Acting on an Impulse Oosterhouse brothers plan new wineryBy Rick Coates What do Dan Aykroyd, Mario Batali, Antonio Banderas, Tommy Smothers andCarter Oosterhouse have in common? They all own wineries. At least thatwill be the case soon for HGTV hunk and heartthrob Carter Oosterhouse.Last week Oosterhouse hosted an open house for close friends to show offhis new vineyard and winery location on the Old Mission Peninsula as wellas introduce his fiancee, actress Amy Smart, to family and friends.Oosterhouse joins the growing ranks of celebrities worldwide venturinginto the wine industry. Last year celebrity-owned wineries saw a 25%increase in wine sales from the previous year. While their celebrity maybe a factor, many of those wineries do not even have the stars names onthe labels. Ask any celebrity why they opened or purchased a winery andmaking money off of gimmick wines will not be on that list -- and that isalso the case for Oosterhouse.It is funny but growing up here I couldnt wait to get out of here, saidOosterhouse. But after living in LA for several years now I am alwaystrying to figure out how I can get back here more often. I always knewthat I wanted to have a business here in Traverse City. Growing up on thePeninsula and watching the wine industry emerge. I thought it was a goodfit.

BROTHER TODDWhile Oosterhouse will be a hands-on owner, his work with HGTV along witha modeling career and owning his own production company will keep him frommanaging the operation daily. He will leave that in the hands of his olderbrother.Todd has been successful in business. I can trust him and when I askedhim he was excited as I was with the potential for this project, saidOosterhouse. He will manage the day-to-day end of it, but I will haveinput.Oosterhouse Vineyards will have 20 acres of grapes to start and a tastingroom located off Nelson Road near Chateau Grand Traverse. They expect thetasting room to open in the spring of 2014.So, for two brothers who grew up with construction backgrounds, exactlywhat is their wine knowledge?We feel very fortunate that so many people have stepped up to give usinput, said Todd. For example Cornell of Two Lads Winery is consultingwith us. We both like to ask a lot of questions. We are basically figuringit out as we go along.Their open house included an opportunity for guests to help plant some ofthe vineyard; for the Oosterhouse brothers this concept of community isimportant.We want this be a very community-oriented winery, said Carter. We wantthe community to be a part of what we are doing and participate along theway.

SEXIEST MANCarter Oosterhouse graduated from TC St. Francis (as did Todd) andattended Central Michigan University. Carter worked construction duringthe summers and moved to LA after graduating from CMU where he worked inthe building trades before being discovered by talent scouts. He has beenselected People Magazines Sexiest Man on TV. In addition to histelevision work he has had several modeling projects; currently hes themale model for Nautica. Oprah used Oosterhouse on occasion to overseeon-air makeovers for fans of her show. He has used his celebrity resources to bring attention to Traverse Cityhaving a few television shows filmed here of home remodeling projects. Inaddition, he and his family secretly remodeled one of the Old MissionPeninsula Fire Department buildings to the tune of $130,000. Last summerhis charity, Carters Kids, built a childrens playground at the harbor atGreilickville Harbor Park in Elmwood Township.Oosterhouse, now 34, started to get the itch to come back to Traverse Citysix years ago and bought an old Victorian style farmhouse and some acresabout 10 miles out on the Old Mission Peninsula. Despite living inCalifornia with its famed wine country Oosterhouse kept hearing aboutMichigan wines.I would mention to friends I was from Michigan and they would talk abouthow great the wines are from there and that was really a selling point forme as well, said Oosterhouse. Plus every time I would come back home Iwould go out to dinner at the Peninsula Grille and order a glass ofRiesling and that first sip of wine just reminds me of all the greatthings about Northern Michigan.

OPEN-MINDEDSo do the Oosterhouse brothers plan to focus on Rieslings?I thought about it at first, certainly our region is known for that but Idecided to take the approach I have with my career, to be more of anopportunist, said Oosterhouse. Todd and myself are going to keep an openmind to our approach and maybe even help usher in some new ideas for thewine region.Todd adds:We have a pretty diverse vineyard right now and certainly a lot to learnas we move forward, he said. This is a delicate business and we had tobuy land away from where Carter bought his farm because the growingconditions were not right.Carter jokes: It is funny but I guess I never figured I would lay awakeat night trying to figure out how to get rid of weeds. There are so manyweeds. But Todd and and I also want to use the best farming practices atall times.As for how much his new fiancee will be involved, that remains to be seen.Amy is very busy with her acting career; she is excited about the wineryproject, said Oosterhouse. I have joked with her that I will name asection of the vineyard after her, but we have to be married for awhilebefore I commit to that.Oosterhouse and Smart are known as Hollywoods green or eco couple.They plan to spend as much time here as possible. They met last fall andwere engaged this past spring. I have spent a lot of time up here, my parents live in Omena, said Smart. As for a wedding date and location, Oosterhouse just smiled as the couplehas several Hollywood friends and revealing too many details willcertainly result in the papparazzi showing up.We are planning on this September, said Oosterhouse. Location to bedetermined, Ill get back to you on that one.In the meantime Oosterhouse is leaving this week for the west coast tostart filming for some upcoming HGTV shows. His production company is alsoin negotiations for a brand new show as well. Todd will stay focused ontending to the vineyards along with processing the mounds of paperwork thestate and federal government require to operate a winery.